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By Dr. Saleh as-Saleh [d.1429H]
The Qurâ€™aan is a proof for the believer who establishes what is required of him/her regarding this Noble Book. The requirement is stated in the great hadeeth in which the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] declared that:
â€œReligion is adviceâ€¦â€
He [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] clarified that part of this advice is:
â€œTo Allaah, His Bookâ€¦â€ [Muslim]
Advice to the Book of Allaah has many aspects to it, including:
1. Defending the Qurâ€™aan against all kinds of tahreef [alteration].
2. Believing in all of the reports mentioned in the Qurâ€™aan without any kind of doubt.
3. Pondering over the Qurâ€™aan and its meaning and complying with its commands.
4. Keeping away from the prohibitions found in the Qurâ€™aan.
5. Believing that the legislations in the Qurâ€™aan are the best and the most perfected laws.
6. Believing that the Qurâ€™aan, letters and meanings, is the Speech of Allaah, and that He [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] spoke it to Jibreel [â€˜alayhi-salaam] who brought it down to Prophet Muhammad [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam].
The Qurâ€™aan is a proof against the one who does not establish the advice it demands. The one who knows ponders over and abides by the Qurâ€™aan and his life is in constant attachment to it, whereas the one who abandons the Qurâ€™aan in one way or another is like a person whose chest is in a state of confinement.
The types of abandonment of the Qurâ€™aan were summarised by Imaam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [rahimahullaah] as:
1. Abandoning the Qurâ€™aan by not listening to its recitation, believing in it or giving attention to it.
2. Abandoning of the Qurâ€™aan by not acting by it and abiding by what it has prescribed of halaal or haraam even if the one who does so still believes in it or recites it, meaning, it is not sufficient to believe in it and recite it to then abandon acting by it.
3. Abandoning the Qurâ€™aan by not ruling by it or taking it as judge in all matters of religion, believing that it does not warrant certainty of conviction and that its evidences are merely literal in the sense that it does not result in knowledge.
4. Abandoning the Qurâ€™aan by not reflecting upon its meanings, understanding them and knowing what Allaah [the One who spoke it] desires from the one who recites it.
5. Abandoning the Qurâ€™aan by not using it as a cure for all of the diseases and ailments of the heart, such that one seeks the cure for his/her illness in other than the Qurâ€™aan thus abandoning its use as a medicine.
All of this is signified in the saying of Allaah:
â€œAnd the Messenger [Muhammad] will say: â€˜O My Lord! Verily, My people deserted This Qurâ€™aan [neither listened to it, nor acted on its laws and Orders]â€™.â€ [Al-Furqan 25:30]
Even though some types of abandonment are lesser than others in magnitude one of the Salaf said: â€œNobody sits with the Qurâ€™aan and leaves mutual, he will either win or he will loose.â€ He then recited the following verse:
â€œAnd we send down from the Qurâ€™aan that which is a healing and a Mercy to those who believe [in Islamic Monotheism and act on it], and it increases the Zaalimoon [polytheists and wrong-doers] nothing but loss.â€ [Al-Isra 17:82]
Ibn Masâ€™ood [radee Allaahu â€˜anhu] said: â€œThe Qurâ€™aan is an intercessor whose intercession will be accepted and a disputant and credible adversary. So whoever places it [the Qurâ€™aan] as its leader it will lead him to Paradise and whoever places it behind his back it will lead him to the Fire of Hell.â€ [â€˜Abdur-Razzaak in his Mushanaf, its chain is â€œsaheehâ€]
Aboo Moosaa al-Ashâ€™aree [radee Allaahu â€˜anhu] said: â€œVerily, this Qurâ€™aan is either a reward for you or a burden upon you, thus follow the Qurâ€™aan and not let the Qurâ€™aan follow you. Whoever follows the Qurâ€™aan, it will make him to light upon the Gardens of Paradise and whosoever the Qurâ€™aan follows it will push or thrust him from behind until it casts him into the Fire of Hell.â€
Imaam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [rahimahullaah] pointed out the statement of Imaam al-Bukhaaree [rahimahullaah]: â€œNobody enjoys it [the Qurâ€™aan] and benefits from it except the one who believes in it.â€ Then said: â€œNobody will enjoy the Qurâ€™aan, its recitation and its understanding except the one who testifies that it is the Words of Allaah that He really Spoke and revealed to His Messenger [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam].â€
Anyone who does not believe that the Qurâ€™aan is the a True Book from Allaah that He Truly Spoke to Jibreel [â€˜alayhi-sallam] and revealed to Muhammad [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] and that it is not part of His creation, then his heart is constrained by difficulty there from.
Anyone who says that the Qurâ€™aan has an inward meaning that opposes its outward meaning or says that it has a figurative interpretation that opposes its apparently understood meaning then his heart is tried by difficulty there from.
Anyone who says that the Qurâ€™aan has a meaning that we canâ€™t understand or apply and that we worship Allaah by the mere recitation of it, then such a personâ€™s heart is confined by difficulty there from.
Nobody subjects the Qurâ€™aan to baseless opinions, the irrationality of the people of scholastic theology and the sophistry and the superstitions of the Sufiâ€™s except that his heart is constrained by difficulty there from.
Anyone who makes the Qurâ€™aan subservient to his fiqh, madhhab or to the far stretched ideas of whom he blindly follows then his heart is confined by difficulty there from.
Anyone who does not take the Qurâ€™aan as a judge in open or in secret and in all matters of deen and does not submit to its rules, no matter what they are, then his heart is constrained by difficulty there from.
Anyone who does not comply with the commandments found in the Qurâ€™aan or refrains from what it forbids and its restraining statements and does not believe in all of its reports, then his heart is restricted by difficulty there from.
All of those people, their hearts are not affected by the meanings of the Noble Qurâ€™aan, nor do they understand it as it should be understood, so they do not find the joy of its sweetness and taste which the companions and their successors found.
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By Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah [d.728H]
If it is asked why is one supplicating for guidance to the Straight Path when a Muslim is already regarded to be on the Straight Path? Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah says,
â€¦The case mentioned above is similar to what some of them ask concerning His saying, â€œGuide us to the Straight Pathâ€ [Al-Fatihah 1:6] saying: â€˜Allaah has already guided the believer, so what benefit is there in seeking guidance?â€™ Then some of them reply by saying that the meaning is â€˜Keep us firm upon guidanceâ€™ as the Arab would say to the one who is asleep, â€˜Sleep until I come to youâ€™. Others say that the meaning is, â€˜Keep our hearts form upon the guidanceâ€™ and that the request for firmness has been omitted. Yet others from amongst them say that it means, â€˜Increase me in guidance.â€™
This question really occurs due to the absence of their pondering the Straight Path to which the servant seeks guidance to, for the meaning [of this verse] is [seeking guidance to] act according to what Allaah ordered, and leaving what He forbade in all matters.
This is because the person, even if he has believed that Muhammad [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] is the Messenger of Allaah and that the Qurâ€™aan is the truth in a general way, I is commonly in need of knowledge of that which would benefit him and harm him. He is in need of knowledge concerning what he has been commanded to do and forbidden from doing in the finer aspects of his life and in those areas of which he has no knowledge. [Not only this but we find that] that which he does have knowledge of, he does not put the greater part of it into practice! Assuming that all of the commands and prohibitions contained within the Qurâ€™aan and Sunnah have reached him, then the Qurâ€™aan and Sunnah contain laws that are general and universal for which it is not possible to specify to every individual person - therefore the person has been commanded due to the likes of this to ask for guidance to the Straight Path.
Guidance to the Straight Path includes all of the following matters: cognisance of what the Messenger [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] came with in detail, cognisance of what comes under his general orders and concern for acting according to ones knowledge, for indeed just having knowledge is not a cause for attaining guidance if one does not act according to his knowledge. This is why He said to His Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] after the treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
â€œIndeed We have given you a manifest victory. That Allaah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, complete His favour upon you, and guide you on a Straight Path.â€ [Al-Fath 48:1-2]
And He said with respect to Moosaa and Haroon,
â€œAnd We gave them the clear Scripture, and guided them to the Right Path.â€ [As-Saffat 37:117-119]
The Muslims have differed as to what Allaah willed from the textual matters - matters of knowledge, belief and action whiles all of them are agreed that Muhammad [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] is the truth and the Qurâ€™aan is the truth. If all of them were to have attained guidance to the Straight Path in totality, they would have never have differed. Furthermore the majority of those who know what Allaah has ordered disobey Him and do not follow His Way. If they were guided to the Straight Path in these matters then they certainly would have performed what they had been commanded to do, and left what they had been forbidden from. As for those whom Allaah guided from amongst this nation until they became from the God-Fearing Friends of Allaah, the greatest reason for this was their supplicating to Allaah with this supplication [guide us to the Straight Path] in ever prayer along with the knowledge of their continuous need of Allaah that He guide them on the Straight Path. So due to their continually saying this supplication and their acknowledging their continuous need of Him they became God-Fearing Friends of Allaah. Sahl bin â€˜Abdullaah at-Tustari said, â€˜There is not a route between a servant and Allaah closer to Him than need.â€™
The one who has attained guidance in the past is in need of guidance in the future, this is the real meaning behind the saying of those who say that it means: â€˜Establish us and guide us to being firm upon the Straight Path.â€™ The opinion of those who say that it means: â€˜Increase us in guidanceâ€™ includes what has preceded. But all that has been stated refers to His guidance to the Straight Path that is to be granted in the future, for indeed action in the future is upon knowledge that is not yet attained. And the person is not considered to be on who is guided until he acts according to his knowledge in the future, but it is possible that this knowledge may not be there in the future, rather it could be removed from the heart, and if it still be there it is also possible that it not be acted upon. Therefore all of mankind is in dire need of this supplication, this is why Allaah made it obligatory upon them in ever prayer and they are not in need of any supplication as they are of this one. When guidance is obtained to the Straight Path then help, provision and all of the happiness that the soul seeks are obtained [from Allaah]. Allaah knows best. [19]
Allaah commands His servants to supplicate,
â€œOur Lord! Let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us mercy from Yourself. Indeed You are the Bestower.â€ [Aali Imran 3:8]
Footnote:
[19] Ibn Taymiyyah, â€˜Diseases of the Heart and their Curesâ€™ Eng. Trans., pp. 44-47. The original text is to be found in his Majmu Fatawa, vol. 10, pp.91-138. [Daar us-Sunnah Publishers 2003]
Refer also to Ibn â€˜Atiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 74-75; al-Baghawi, vol.1, pg. 54; Ibn Kathir, vol.1, pg. 52; al-Alusi, vol.1, pg. 126
Transcribed from: The Spiritual Cure: An Explanation of Surah al-Fatihah [A Summary of Numerous Classical Commentaries on the Qurâ€™aan], Pgs. 152-155, Prepared by Abu Rumaysah, Translated by Abu Rumaysah, Published by Daar us-Sunnah Publications
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Click the link below to listen to / download this audio file:
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The Effects of the Qur'aan upon the Hearts of the People
By Shaykh Khaalid al-Jaasim
The Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] said:
â€œAllaah did not send any Messenger to a people except that He sent him with something through which people would believe in him.â€
When Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] sends a Messenger, He sends him with a miracle or something that is amazing that people cannot reproduce and that is suitable for that time. If we look at the example of Moosaa [â€˜alayhi-sallam], we find that he was sent with a staff that was used for and turned into a snake, since in that time magic was wide spread. If we look to â€˜Isa [â€˜alayhi-sallam], his time was famous for practicing medicine and finding cures for different diseases, so Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] sent him with that ability [by His will] to cure the lepers, the blind and the deaf. One of the greatest miracles that the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] was sent with is the Qurâ€™aan. It is the miracle that will remain until nobody believes in Allaah and it is the miracle with which Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] challenged the Jinn and Mankind to produce the like thereof. Allaah described it as:
â€œ[This is] a Book [the Qurâ€™aan] which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember.â€ [sad 38:29]
Before the Qurâ€™aan was sent, at that time the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] lived in a time in which the Arabs used to pride themselves on their eloquence and they used to gather in their seasonal markets and recite poems to each other. A poet would come and recite a poem consisting of 100 or 200 lines and people would go home having memorised the entire poem, and they used to take pride in that. Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala], challenged the Jinn and Mankind, after revealing it, to reproduce anything that is similar or the like of the Qurâ€™aan and He challenged them by saying:
â€œSay: â€˜If the Mankind and the Jinnâ€™s were together to produce the like of this Qurâ€™aan, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one anotherâ€™.â€ [Al-Isra 17:88]
In order for us to appreciate and truly understand the greatness of the Qurâ€™aan, we need to ponder and reflect over those verses in which Allaah challenged the Jinn and Mankind to bring the following:
We have different degrees of that challenge, starting with the verses we just mentioned [above], Allaah said that they are not able to bring a whole book that resembles the Qurâ€™aan, since they were not able to do it to that degree, Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] lessened the challenge and He [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] said:
â€œSay: â€˜Bring you then ten forged Surah [chapters] like unto itâ€™.â€ [Hud 11:13]
The challenge was reduced from the whole book to ten chapters like that of the Qurâ€™aan. Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] then challenged anyone to bring just one chapter like a chapter in the Qurâ€™aan, and that the word chapter here is indefinite which from Arabic Grammar implies any chapter, short or long. And then lastly Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] said:
â€œ...then produce a Surah [chapter] of the like thereof...â€ [Al-Baqarah 2:23]
Meaning that since you have not been able to bring anything like that of the above then something close to any chapter, but nobody from mankind or from the Jinn was or has been able to achieve this. Does that not prove beyond any doubt that this Book is indeed very great because nobody has been able to meet the challenge? This also proves to us that this Book, as Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] said, is from the Revelation of the One Who is Wise and the One who is All-Aware of everything.
The greatness of the Qurâ€™aan is shown by the fact that even Non-Muslims may [come to] realise its greatness, even though they may not understand the meaning of the Qurâ€™aan they may still find its greatness. Unfortunately, as Muslims, sometimes we may not appreciate the greatness of the Qurâ€™aan.
When the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] was in Makkah, the people gave him an offer, they said: â€œOh Muhammad, if you want wealth or money we will give it to you, if you want women we will marry you to the most beautiful women of the Arabs, and if you want to rule us, we will give you the kingdom, just leave what you are doing and stop calling the people to Allaah [to tawheed].â€ After which the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] said: â€œHave you finished?â€ And this shows the manners of the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] to a Non-Muslim who is calling him to disbelief, he did not interrupt him until he finished and asked him: â€œHave you finishedâ€, and the man stated that he had. Then the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam], started reciting Surah Fussilat in reply to his offer, and he kept reciting until he reached the saying of Allaah:
â€œBut if they turn away, then say [O Muhammad]: â€˜I have warned you of a Saaâ€™iqah [a destructive awful cry, torment, hit, a thunderbolt] like the Saaâ€™iqah which overtook 'Ad and Thamood [people]â€™.â€ [Fussilat 41:13]
When he [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] reached the above verse, the man who had come to negotiate and make an offer, he said: â€œEnough O Muhammad, enough O Muhammad.â€ He could understand the meaning [of what was being recited] and he became affected by it.
Another example is the story of Jibrayah Mutaâ€™im. Before [his reversion to] Islam the disbelievers of Makkah waged a public relations war on the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam]. They used to tell everyone not to listen to him and spread propaganda claiming that he [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] was magician, a poet etc., despite this, Jibrayah Mutaâ€™im went to see the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] and he saw him praying near the Kaâ€™bah. The Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] [after Maghrib] was reciting Surah at-Tur, and he said:
â€œWhen he reached:
â€˜Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?â€™ [At-Tur 52:35]
I thought my heart was going to fly out of my body.â€
One of my friends was studying in America. He was travelling on a bus and he was reciting Surah ad-Dhua. An American woman heard him, approached him and asked: â€œWhat are you reciting?â€ He said: â€œThis is the Book of Allaah, I am reciting the Qurâ€™aan.â€ She said: â€œThis attracted me can you recite it again?â€ So the brother started to recite Surah Zalzalah, the women said: â€œThis is not what you recited before but it is still nice, could you give me something that I can benefit from, like a tape or something I can listen to?â€ The brother went and he forgot, but when she saw him again [on the bus] she reminded him: â€œRemember you promised to give me a tape.â€ He said: â€œI searched through my sound library but I only found a tape by Shaykh Ali â€˜Abdullaah Jaabir, which was recorded in a studio as opposed to the Masjid in Makkah. There is a difference because the recitation in the Masjid in Makkah is generally more beautiful, but inshaaâ€™Allaah she will be affected by it!â€ He gave her the tape. After three months they met again and she said: â€œThere has not been a single night from that time until now except that every single night I listened to this tape, and when I tried to go to bed without this tape I couldnâ€™t do it.â€ This woman didnâ€™t even know the difference between Alif, Baa and Taa, so how comes it affects the Non-Muslims and many times it does not affect us, the Muslims?
Imaam al-Qurtubi [rahimahullaah] related a story in which he said: In that time it was the custom of the rulers to gather yearly and to have meetings. They would invite the scholars and the people of knowledge so that the meetings would be full of knowledge. There was a man in that gathering who could speak Arabic well and it was said to the ruler that this individual is not actually a Muslim, he is a Jew. He [the ruler] was surprised and so he said to him: â€œWhy donâ€™t you become a Muslim and I will give you something to strengthen you in Islam, like some money or something material?â€ But he [the Jewish man] said: â€œThis is the religion of my forefathers and so I will stay on it.â€ When the next years gathering was taking place, the same man was in the gathering and so the ruler looked at him and said: â€œAre you the same man I saw last year?â€ It appeared that the man had embraced Islam, and so he asked him: â€œHave you embraced Islam?â€ He said: â€œYes!â€ The ruler asked him: â€œWhat made you embrace Islam?â€ He replied: â€œI am a man with very good handwriting so I decided to try the three books, the Torah, the Bible and the Qurâ€™aan, to see which one of them is the truth. I copied three copies of the Torah with my nice handwriting and I added things to it from myself and I took some things out of it myself, and I took it to the market and decided to sell it, and the people bought all of them from me, so I knew that the religion [of Judaism] is false.â€ He did the same with the Bible and the same happened, he did the same with the Qurâ€™aan and nobody bought a single copy from him because they realised that this was not the true Qurâ€™aan, he said: â€œThen I knew that this is the true religion and I embraced Islam.â€
A great scholar was at that gathering by the name and when he heard the story [of the manâ€™s reversion]; he addressed the ruler and informed him that there is what confirms to what he has just said in the Qurâ€™aan, in Surah al-Maâ€™idah. Allaah [subhaanahu wa taâ€™aala] says:
â€œAnd the rabbis and the priests [too judged the Jews by the Tauraat [Torah] after those Prophets] for to them was entrusted the protection of Allaahâ€™s Book, and they were witnesses thereto. Therefore fear not men but fear Me [O Jews] and sell not My Verses for a miserable price.â€ [Al-Maâ€™idah 5:44]
And:
â€œIt is We Who have sent down the Dhikr [i.e. the Qurâ€™aan] and surely, We will guard it [from corruption].â€ [Al-Hijr 15:9]
So Allaah took it upon himself to protect the Qurâ€™aan and with everything that has been mentioned, unfortunately, many of us have abandoned the Qurâ€™aan and we do not treat it seriously, nor do not study it. The Messenger [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] said:
â€œIndeed my people have abandoned this Qurâ€™aan.â€
Abandoning the Qurâ€™aan can take different shapes and forms:
First of all, not reciting it regularly, maybe we do not recite the Qurâ€™aan for a few days in a row; perhaps we do not even recite the Qurâ€™aan for several weeks.
Secondly, we may recite it but we may not reflect on what we recite.
Thirdly, we may leave acting upon the Qurâ€™aan, what it makes Halaal and what it makes Haraam.
Fourthly, we may abandon treating one another with the Qurâ€™aan.
Finally, we may even abandon taking the Qurâ€™aan as our judge between us.
So if you have abandoned the Qurâ€™aan, then which type of abandonment have you fallen into? We must be very careful not to fall into that duâ€™aa in which the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] said to Allaah that his people have abandoned the Qurâ€™aan.
There is a great hadeeth in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad [rahimahullaah] stating that the Qurâ€™aan is the accepted intercessor, meaning that when it defends someone and intercedes for that person, Allaah accepts its intercession, and a defender who is believed, when the Qurâ€™aan defends someone Allaah believes and accepts their defence. Whoever puts the Qurâ€™aan in front of him, the Qurâ€™aan will take him to Paradise, and whoever puts the Qurâ€™aan behind him, the Qurâ€™aan will take him to the Fire.
Imaam Muslim [rahimahullaah] narrated in his book as part of a long hadeeth a saying of the Prophet [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] in which he said:
â€œThe Qurâ€™aan is either a proof for you or against you.â€
There is no third choice, the Qurâ€™aan will either testify for you and will be proof for you or it will be against you, you have to think which way it is going to testify, you have to look at yourself and decide in all honesty, are you really in the group that will be protected and defended by the Qurâ€™aan. That is why we must pay attention to the Qurâ€™aan by studying it, memorising it and understanding its meanings, because the Qurâ€™aan is a treasure that we must learn and discover its knowledge.
â€˜Umar ibn al-Khattaab [radee Allaahu â€˜anhu] appointed as a governor of an area, a person who was set free at that very moment, who used to be a slave and he was set free, and he appointed him as a governor straight after that, some people said to him: â€œWhy are you appointing this man to be a governor when we have other Companions?â€ â€˜Umar replied to them and said: â€œKeep quiet because I heard the Messenger of Allaah [sall-Allaahu â€˜alayhi wa sallam] say: â€˜Indeed Allaah raises the status of some people through this Book and lowers the status of some other people through this Bookâ€™.â€ This man [the freed slave] has memorised the Qurâ€™aan and this is what made â€˜Umar respect him and raise his status; and that is why a person who memorises the Qurâ€™aan, his status will be raised in this world and he will be mentioned with good things in this world and in the Hereafter.
And finally, I want to advise all of my brothers and sisters to be keen and eager and to put effort into memorising the Qurâ€™aan, they should not be prevented by age or things that may occupy them because learning and memorising the Qurâ€™aan little by little all the time is better than something you do a lot but doesnâ€™t last, you must have that intention in your heart that you want to memorise the Qurâ€™aan, and I indeed hope for every single person who truly intends to memorise the Qurâ€™aan and does what he or she can to do so. Even if they die and they have not memorised the Qurâ€™aan, I hope sincerely that Allaah will treat them on the Day of Judgement as if they have memorised the Qurâ€™aan and that is why we must expend extra effort to try and memorise, learn and understand this Qurâ€™aan, because one day the Qurâ€™aan will be taken away from the earth to the extent that not a single verse will remain.
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Walaikum salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh
Mashaaâ€™Allaah brother, some great advice and nice pointers, jazakâ€™Allaahu khairan! The audio link I have posted does touch on some of the points that you have made mention of as well as others, such as having awareness of Allaah, i.e. He Sees All, Hears All and Knows All, etc.
Was-salaamu â€˜alaikum
Aboo Uthmaan

Click the link below to listen to / download this audio file:
(you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yet4shared(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/file/56825924/e10d0500/Practical_Ways_to_Abstain_from_Disobedience_to_Allah_by_Shaykh_Khaalid_al-Jaasim.html"]Practical Ways to Abstain from Disobedience to Allaah by Shaykh Khaalid al-Jaasim[/url]

Sorry, not aware of any other places to download the recordings. You can also use a software like:
(you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetspeedbit(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetspeedbit(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/[/url]
For faster downloads, the great thing about it is that if your internet connection cuts off for any reason you can just resume the download from where you left off. Also, some ISP's only let you download two files at a time, but if you use the software at the link above you can download as many files as you like at any one time.

As-salaamu 'alaikum
Dear Knottystevn
I am also a revert to Islam and as such maybe I can understand where you are coming from since I may have had similar questions to you at one stage or another. It would be beneficial if you could (as many brothers and sisters have already asked) let us know your questions!
I hope that we hear from you soon inshaa'Allaah!
Was-salaamu 'alaikum
Aboo Uthmaan

Walaikum salaam
You can download the real player version then convert it very easily and quickly to whatever format you like using:
(you are not allowed to post links yet)"you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetdownload(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/3000-2140_4-10780710.html"]you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_you are not allowed to post links yetdownload(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/3000-2140_4-10780710.html[/url]
Hope that helps!
Was-salaamu 'alaikum
Aboo Uthmaan